Seal based object detection for vehicle door assist system

ABSTRACT

A door assist system for a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises an actuator configured to control a position of the door about a hinge assembly. An interference sensor forms a portion of a door opening seal and is configured to detect an obstruction in a plurality of detection regions. The system further comprises a controller configured to control the actuator in response to a detection signal from the interference sensor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to vehicles, and more particularly tovehicles having doors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In an effort to improve vehicle operation and convenience, manymanufacturers have introduced a variety of convenience and operatingfeatures to vehicles. However, many components and systems of vehiclesremain significantly similar to conventional vehicle designs dating backto the previous century. The disclosure provides for various systems andapparatuses to provide for improved operation of at least one door of avehicle. The systems discussed herein may include doors that eitherassist a user when accessing the vehicle, and/or configured to open andclose without requiring a vehicle user to physically reposition thedoor. Such systems may provide for improved operation of a vehicle asdescribed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a door assist systemfor a vehicle is disclosed. The system comprises an actuator configuredto control a position of the door about a hinge assembly. Aninterference sensor forms a portion of a door opening seal and isconfigured to detect an obstruction in a plurality of detection regions.The system further comprises a controller configured to control theactuator in response to a detection signal from the interference sensor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an interferencesensor for a vehicle door is disclosed. The sensor comprises a dooropening seal and an array of proximity sensors. The proximity sensorsform a portion of the seal and each of the proximity sensors isconfigured to detect an obstruction in one of a plurality of sensoryregions. A processor is in communication with the proximity sensors andconfigured to detect the obstruction of a motion of the door in thesensory regions.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle doorsystem is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of proximitysensors configured to generate a detection signal. The sensors areincorporated in at least one of a perimeter door seal and a perimeterdoor opening seal. An actuator is configured to control a position ofthe door, and an angular position sensor is configured to identify anangular position of the door. A controller is configured to control theactuator based on the angular position of the door and the detectionsignal.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present inventionwill be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art uponstudying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a projected view of a vehicle comprising a door assist systemconfigured to detect an object or obstruction in an inner swing path ofthe door;

FIG. 2 is a top schematic view of a vehicle comprising a door assistsystem demonstrating an interference zone of a vehicle door;

FIG. 3 is a top schematic view of a vehicle comprising a door assistsystem demonstrating an interference zone of a vehicle door;

FIG. 4 is a top schematic view of a vehicle comprising a door assistsystem configured to detect an object or obstruction in an outer swingpath of the door;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a door assist system;

FIG. 6 is a projected view of a vehicle demonstrating a door controldevice for operating a door assist system;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method for operating the door control deviceof FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart including additional method steps that can beimplemented in connection with the method of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a sensor array of a door control device foroperating the door assist system;

FIG. 10 is a side environmental view of a vehicle comprising a doorassist system configured to maintain an angular position of the door;and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a door assist system configured to controla positioning operation of the door in accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure aredisclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosedembodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure that may be embodiedin various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to adetailed design and some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized toshow function overview. Therefore, specific structural and functionaldetails disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, butmerely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art tovariously employ the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or moreitems, means that nay one of the listed items can be employed by itself,or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed.For example, if a composition is described as containing components A,B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; Aand B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; orA, B, and C in combination.

Referring to FIG. 1, a projected view of a vehicle 10 includes a dooropening 20, a door 14 mounted adjacent the opening 20 and moveablerelative to the opening 20 between a closed position and a range of openpositions. The vehicle 10 also includes a controller that determineswhether an instantaneous door position is the closed position or iswithin the range of open positions and prevents vehicle movement, engineignition, or both in response to the door 14 being detected aspositioned within the range of open positions. The controller is furtherdiscussed in various portion of the disclosure and denoted as thecontroller 70 in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 11.

An actuator 22 is in communication with a controller (shown in FIG. 2)configured to detect and control the angular position φ of the door 14.In an embodiment, the actuator 22 may be a power assist device that isdisposed adjacent to the door 14 and is operably and structurallycoupled to the door 14 for assisting in moving the door 14 between openand closed positions, as further described below. The power assistdevice 22 is coupled to the door 14 for movement therewith and isoperably coupled to a pivotal interface, for example the hinge assembly18, for powering the movement of the door 14. The power assist device 22may include a motor, which is contemplated to be an electric motor,power winch, slider mechanism or other actuator mechanism havingsufficient power necessary to provide the torque required to move thedoor 14 between open and closed positions, as well as various detentlocations. Thus, the motor is configured to act on the door 14 at ornear the hinge assembly 18 in a pivoting or rotating manner. Thecontroller may comprise a motor control unit comprising a feedbackcontrol system configured to accurately position the door 14 about thehinge assembly 18 in a smooth and controlled motion path. The controllermay further be in communication with a door position sensor 24 as wellas at least one interference sensor 26. The door position sensor 24 maybe configured to identify an angular position of the door 14 and theinterference sensor 26 may be configured to identify a potentialobstruction which may be contacted by the door 14. Further detailsregarding the controller are discussed in reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and11 of the disclosure.

The actuator 22 is configured to adjust the door 14 from an openedposition, as shown in FIG. 1, to a closed position and control theangular position φ of the door 14 therebetween. The actuator 22 may beany type of actuator that is capable of transitioning the door 14 aboutthe hinge assembly 18, including, but not limited to, electric motors,servo motors, electric solenoids, pneumatic cylinders, hydrauliccylinders, etc. The actuator 22 may be connected to the door 14 by gears(e.g., pinion gears, racks, bevel gears, sector gears, etc.), levers,pulleys, or other mechanical linkages. The actuator 22 may also act as abrake by applying a force or torque to prevent the transitioning of thedoor 14 between the opened position and the closed position. Theactuator 22 may include a friction brake to prevent the transition ofthe door 14 about the hinge assembly 18.

The position sensor 24 may correspond to a variety of rotational orposition sensing devices. In some embodiments, the position sensor 24may correspond to an angular position sensor configured to communicatethe angular position φ of the door to the controller. The angularposition φ may be utilized by the controller to control the motion ofthe actuator 22. The door position sensor 24 may correspond to anabsolute and/or relative position sensor. Such sensors may include, butare not limited to quadrature encoders, potentiometers, accelerometers,etc. The position sensor 24 may also correspond to optical and/ormagnetic rotational sensors. Other sensing devices may also be utilizedfor the position sensor 24 without departing from the spirit of thedisclosure.

In some embodiments, the position sensor 24 may be utilized to determineif the door 14 of the vehicle 10 is ajar or in the closed position. Asdiscussed above, the position sensor 24 may correspond to an angularposition sensor configured to communicate the angular position φ of thedoor to the controller. In the above example of a potentiometer,position sensor 24 can output a signal to controller 70 that can varyproportionately with the angular position φ of door 14. In one example,the signal can increase in amplitude from a lower limit at an angularposition φ corresponding to a closed position of door 14 (e.g. about 0°)to an upper limit at an angular position φ corresponding to a fully-openposition of door 14. Controller 70 can, accordingly, compare the signalreceived from position sensor 24 at any given instant to a known rangeof signal amplitude and corresponding angular position to determine theparticular instantaneous angular position of door 14. Further, the totalrange of angular positions φ of door 14 can be classified according toan open (or ajar) range and a closed range.

The closed range may be relatively small compared to the open range, buthowever, may be greater than a single value of angular position so as toaccount for slight variations of the fit of door 14 within opening 20.These variations may include changes in the compressibility of seals 48,50 or the like or slight changes in other materials over time or due totemperature fluctuations or the presence of small objects orcontaminants that may exert slight outward pressure on door 14 withoutinterfering with the ability of door 14 to fully close (such as bylatching or the like). In an example the closed position may correspondto an angular position φ of between 0° and 1°, between 0° and 0.5° orless, or between −0.5° and 0.5°, with other ranges being possible.Similarly, the open or ajar range may correspond to the remainingangular positions φ of door 14, which in an example, may be between 1°and 80° or the like, depending on the designated upper limit of theclosed position and the total range of motion of door 14.

In this manner, controller 70 can take as an input the signal output byposition sensor 24 and determine, not only the angular position φ ofdoor 14 (which may be used to achieve desired door positioning in afeedback loop controlling actuator 22), but also whether door 14 is openor closed. The determination of the condition of door 14 between theopen and closed positions may be used outside of the control scheme ofactuator 22. For example, by whether the door 14 is oriented in theclosed position as controlled by the actuator 22, the controller may beoperable to identify a door closed status of the door 14 prior tooperation of the vehicle 10. The position sensor 24 may be utilized inaddition to various switches and sensors to communicate to thecontroller that the door 14 is secure and oriented in the closedposition. The position sensor 24 may communicate that the door 14 islocated in a position corresponding to the latched position thereof, orotherwise oriented proximate the body 16. In one example, a traditionalclosure switch or a door proximity sensor can also be included as abackup or redundancy to such utilization of position sensor 24. Further,the utilization of such a traditional closure switch or, in an example,a switch or other indicator within latch 58, can be used to implement anadjustment or re-zeroing process by which, controller 70, upondetermining by position sensor 24 is within the range of angularpositions φ corresponding to the closed position of door 14 (or within apredetermined tolerance thereof, e.g. about 1% to about 5%) and thesensor within latch 58 confirms that the door is completely closed andlatched in such closed position, controller 70 can set the currentangular position φ of door 14, as indicated by position sensor 24 as thefully closed, or zero, position. This functionality can allow controller70 to compensate for movement among the various parts hinge assembly 18,actuator 22, position sensor 24, and associated portions of door 14 thatmay occur over time, due to fluctuations in temperature, and the like.

The implementation of a re-zeroing scheme can also allow a brushless DCmotor to be used for actuator 22, with the control thereof useable bycontroller 70 to determine the angular position φ of door 14 as a formof integrated position sensor 24. In this respect, controller 70 can bein communication with the control circuitry of the brushless DC motor totrack the number of revolutions thereof during an opening and closingoperation of door 14. However, as inaccuracies of such tracking stack upas the motor revolves, which happens several times during a singleopening and closing operation, the re-zeroing functionality can allowsuch a system to maintain an acceptable level of accuracy.

The position sensor 24 may also be utilized to provide feedback to thecontroller 70 to assist in positioning the door 14 to detectobstructions. In particular, controller 70, when directing actuator 22to move door 14 to either the open position or the closed position (or aparticular angular position φ therebetween), can use position sensor 24to determine if door 14 is actually moving, such as by comparing theindicated angular position φ at successive intervals. If door 14 remainsin a particular angular position φ for a predetermined period of time(in an example for about 0.5 seconds or in another example for up toabout 1 second or two seconds), while controller 70 is attempting toclose door 14, controller 70 can infer that door 14 is obstructed andtake a desired corrective measure. In further examples, discussed below,position sensor 24 can be used to identify a status or orientation ofthe door 14 prior to initiating operation of the vehicle 10. In anotherexample, controller 70 can output the determined condition of door 14,such as to a vehicle control module 162 (FIG. 11) via communication bus164, such that the vehicle control module 162 can utilize the conditioninformation for door 14 in, for example, presenting a door ajar warningto a user of vehicle 10. For example, such a warning can be presentedgraphically or by an indicator light on a human-machine interface(“HMI”) 128 within cabin 46 or by presentation of an audible signal,which may be done in connection with a user attempting to start vehicle10 with door 14 in an open condition.

Position sensor 24 may be incorporated into the structure of actuator 22itself, or can otherwise be associated with both door 14 and opening 20.In one example, actuator 22 can include a first portion 54 coupled withthe door 14 and a second portion 56 with the vehicle body 16 or framedefining opening 20, such portions being moveable relative to each otherin a manner that corresponds to the movement of door 14. Position sensor24 in the form of a potentiometer, for example, can include respectiveportions thereof coupled with each of such portions 54, 56 such thatmovement of the portion coupled with the door 14 can be measuredrelative to the second portion 56 thereof coupled with the vehicleopening 20 to, accordingly, measure the positioning between door 14 andopening 20. In a similar manner, sensor 24 may have a portion coupleddirectly with door 14 and another portion coupled directly with theopening 20. Still further, position sensor 24 can be in the form of anoptical sensor mounted on either the door 14 or the opening 20 that canmonitor a feature of the opposite structure (opening 20 or door 14), amarker, or a plurality of markers to output an appropriate signal tocontroller 70 for determination of angular position φ. In one example,an optical sensor used for position sensor 24 can be positioned suchthat actuator 22 is in a field of view thereof such that the signaloutput thereby can correspond directly to a condition of actuator 22 ora relative position of first portion 54 thereof relative to opening 20.

The interference sensor 26 may be implemented by a variety of devices,and in some implementations may be utilized in combination with theactuator 22 and the position sensor 24 to detect and control the motionof the door 14. The interference sensor 26 may correspond to one or morecapacitive, magnetic, inductive, optical/photoelectric, laser,acoustic/sonic, radar-based, Doppler-based, thermal, and/orradiation-based proximity sensors. In some embodiments, the interferencesensor 26 may correspond to an array of infrared (IR) proximity sensorsconfigured to emit a beam of IR light and compute a distance to anobject in an interference zone 32 based on characteristics of areturned, reflected, or blocked signal. The returned signal may bedetected using an IR photodiode to detect reflected light emitting diode(LED) light, responding to modulated IR signals, and/or triangulation.

In some embodiments, the interference sensor 26 may be implemented as aplurality of sensors or an array of sensors configured to detect anobject in the interference zone 32. Such sensors may include, but arenot limited to, touch sensors, surface/housing capacitive sensors,inductive sensors, video sensors (such as a camera), light fieldsensors, etc. As disclosed in further detail in reference to FIGS. 2 and3, capacitive sensors and inductive sensors may be utilized to detectobstructions in the interference zone 32 of the door 14 of the vehicle10 to ensure that the door 14 is properly positioned by the actuator 22from the open position to the closed position about the hinge assembly18.

The interference sensor 26 may be configured to detect objects orobstructions in the interference zone 32 in a plurality of detectionregions 34. For example, the detection regions 34 may comprise a firstdetection region 36, a second detection region 38, and a third detectionregion 40. In this configuration, the interference sensor 26 may beconfigured to detect the presence of an object in a particular detectionregion and communicate the detection to the controller such that thecontroller may control the actuator 22 accordingly. The detectionregions 34 may provide information regarding the position of an objector obstruction to accurately respond and control the actuator 22 tochange a direction or halt movement of the door 14 prior to a collisionwith the object. Monitoring the location of an object or obstructionrelative to a radial extent 42 of the door 14 in relation to the hingeassembly 18 may significantly improve the control of the motion of thedoor 14 by allowing for variable sensitivities of each of the detectionregions 34.

The variable sensitives of each of the detection regions 34 may bebeneficial due to the relative motion and force of the door 14 as it istransitioned about the hinge assembly 18 by the actuator 22. The firstdetection region 36 may be the most critical because the actuator 22 ofthe door assist system 12 has the greatest leverage or torque closest tothe hinge assembly 18. For example, a current sensor utilized to monitorthe power delivered to the actuator 22 would be the least effective indetecting an obstruction very close to the hinge assembly 18. Thelimited effect of the current sensor may be due to the short moment armof the first detection region 36 relative to the hinge assembly 18 whencompared to the second detection region 38 and the third detectionregion 40. As such, the interference sensor 26 may have an increasedsensitivity in the first detection region 36 relative to the second andthird regions 38 and 40 to ensure that objects are accurately detected,particularly in the first detection region 36. In this way, the system12 may facilitate accurate and controlled motion and ensure the greatestaccuracy in the detection of objects while limiting false detections.

Though depicted in FIG. 1 as being configured to monitor a lower portionof the door 14 proximate a door sill 44, the interference sensor 26 maybe configured to monitor an access region and a door opening 20proximate a perimeter door seal 48 and/or a perimeter door opening seal50. For example, the interference sensor 26 may correspond to a sensoror sensor array configured to monitor each of the interference zones 36,38, and 40 for an object that may obstruct the motion of the door 14 bythe actuator 22. The interference sensor 26 may be configured to monitoran entry region 52 of the vehicle 10 corresponding to a volumetric spaceformed between the door 14 and the body 16. A sensory region of theinterference sensor may particularly focus on interface surfacesproximate the perimeter door seal 48 and the perimeter door opening seal50.

As discussed further herein, the interference sensor 26 may beimplemented by a variety of systems operable to detect objects and/orobstructions in the interference zone 32, entry region 52, and/or anyregion proximate the door 14 throughout the operation of the door assistsystem 12. Though the door assist system 12 is demonstrated in FIG. 1having the detection regions 34 configured to detect an object betweenlocated in an inner swing path between the door 14 and the body 16 ofthe vehicle 10, the system 12 may also be configured to detect an objector obstruction in an outer swing path of the door 14. Further detailsregarding such embodiments are discussed in reference to FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of an interferencesensor 62 is shown. The interference sensor 62 may correspond to theinterference sensor 26 introduced in FIG. 1. The interference sensor 62may be disposed proximate at least one of the perimeter door seals 48and the perimeter door opening seal 50. In some embodiments, theinterference sensor 62 may correspond to one or more proximity sensorsor capacitive sensors configured to detect an object. As shown in FIG.2, the object may correspond to a first object 64 and/or a second object66 in the entry region 52 proximate the door 14 and/or the body 16. Theone or more capacitive sensors may be configured to detect objects thatare conductive or having dielectric properties different from air. Inthis configuration, the interference sensor 62 is configured tocommunicate the presence of any such objects to the controller 70 suchthat the controller 70 can limit motion of the actuator 22 to prevent acollision between the door 14 and the objects 64 and 66.

The interference sensor 62 may correspond to a plurality of proximitysensors or a sensor array 72 comprising a first proximity sensor 74configured to monitor the first detection region 36, a second proximitysensor 76 configured to monitor the second detection region 38, and athird proximity sensor 78 configured to monitor the third detectionregion 40. The sensor array 72 may be in communication with thecontroller 70 such that each of the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 isoperable to independently communicate a presence of the objects 64 and66 in an electric field 80 defining each of their respective sensoryregions. In this configuration, the controller 70 may be configured toidentify objects in each of the detection regions 36, 38, and 40 atdifferent sensitivities or thresholds. Additionally, each of theproximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 may be controlled by the controller 70to have a particular sensory region corresponding to a proximity of aparticular proximity sensor to the hinge assembly 18 and/or an angularposition φ of the door 14.

The controller 70 may further be configured to identify a location of atleast one of the objects 64 and 66 in relation to a radial position ofthe objects 64 and/or 66 along a length of the door 14 extending fromthe hinge assembly 18. The location(s) of the object(s) 64 and/or 66 maybe identified by the controller 70 based on a signal received from oneor more of the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78. In this way, thecontroller 70 is configured to identify the location(s) of the object(s)64 and/or 66 based on a position of the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78on the door 14. In some embodiments, the controller 70 may furtheridentify the location(s) of the object(s) 64 and/or 66 based on thesignal received from one or more of the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78in combination with an angular position φ of the door 14.

In some embodiments, the controller 70 may be configured to identify anobject in each of the detection regions 36, 38, and 40 at a differentsensitivity. The controller 70 may be configured to detect an object inthe first detection region 36 proximate the first proximity sensor 74 ata first sensitivity. The controller 70 may be configured to detect anobject in the second detection region 38 proximate the second proximitysensor 76 at a second sensitivity. The controller 70 may also beconfigured to detect an object in the third detection region 40proximate the third proximity sensor 78 at a third sensitivity. Each ofthe sensitivities discussed herein may be configured to detect theobjects 64 and 66 at a particular predetermined threshold correspondingto signal characteristics and/or magnitudes communicated from each ofthe proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 to the controller 70.

The first proximity sensor 74 may have a lower detection threshold thanthe second proximity sensor 76. The second proximity sensor 76 may havea lower threshold than the third proximity sensor 78. The lowerthreshold may correspond to a higher or increased sensitivity in thedetection of the objects 64 and 66. In this configuration, the proximitysensors 74, 76, and 78 may be configured to independently detect objectsthroughout the interference zone 32 as the position of the door 14 isadjusted by the actuator 22 about the hinge assembly 18.

Each of the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 may also be configured tohave different sensory ranges corresponding of their respectivedetection regions 36, 38, and 40. The sensory regions of each of theproximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 may be regulated and adjusted by thecontroller 70 such that the electric field 80 defining each of theirrespective sensory regions may vary. The controller 70 may adjust arange of a sensory region or an electric field 80 of the proximitysensors 74, 76, and 78 by adjusting a voltage magnitude supplied to eachof the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78. Additionally, each of theproximity sensors 74, 76, and 78 may be configured independently havingdifferent designs, for example different sizes and proportions ofdielectric plates to control a range of the electric field 80 producedby a particular sensor. As described herein, the disclosure provides fora highly configurable system that may be utilized to detect a variety ofobjects in the interference zone 32.

The interference sensor 62 may also be implemented by utilizing one ormore resistive sensors. In some embodiments, the interference sensor 62may correspond to an array of capacitive sensors and resistive sensorsin combination configured to monitor the interference zone 32 forobjects that may obstruct the operation of the door 14. In yet anotherexemplary embodiment, the interference sensor 62 may be implemented incombination with at least one inductive sensor as discussed in referenceto FIG. 3. As such, the disclosure provides for an interference sensorthat may be implemented utilizing a variety of sensory techniques andcombinations thereof to ensure that objects are accurately detected inthe interference zone 32.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the interferencesensor 62 may be incorporated as an integral component of at least oneof the perimeter door seal 48 and the perimeter door opening seal 50.For example, the interference sensor 62 may correspond to a plurality ofproximity sensors or an array of proximity sensors incorporated as anintegral layer of at least one of the perimeter door seal 48 and theperimeter door opening seal 50. This particular embodiment of theinterference sensor 62 may comprise a similar structure to the sensorarray 72, discussed in reference to FIG. 9. In such embodiments, theinterference sensor 62 may be implemented as a capacitive sensor arrayconfigured to detect objects proximate at least one of the perimeterdoor seal 48 and the perimeter door opening seal 50.

The perimeter door seal 48 and/or the perimeter door opening seal 50 maycomprise an outer layer 81 having the proximity sensors 74, 76, and 78of the sensor array 72 proximate thereto or in connection therewith. Theouter layer 81 may correspond to a flexible or significantly rigidpolymeric material having the interference sensor 62 connected thereto.In some embodiments, the sensor array 72 may also be disposed proximatethe perimeter door seal 48 and/or the perimeter door opening seal 50 onthe door 14 and/or the body 16 respectively. In this configuration, theplurality of proximity sensors of the sensor array 72 may be utilized todetect an object in any of the detection regions 36, 38, and 40. Thisconfiguration may further provide for the interference sensor 72 to beconveniently incorporated into the perimeter door seal 48 and/or theperimeter door opening seal 50 for ease of implementation of the doorassist system 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, an exemplary embodiment of aninterference sensor 82 is shown. The interference sensor 82 maycorrespond to the interference sensor 26 introduced in FIG. 1. Theinterference sensor 82 may be disposed proximate at least one of theperimeter door seal 48 and the perimeter door opening seal 50. In someembodiments, the interference sensor 82 may correspond to one or moremagnetic or inductive sensors configured to detect an object, forexample the first object 64 and/or the second object 66 in a regionproximate the door 14 and/or the body 16. Each of the magnetic sensorsmay be configured to detect objects that are metallic and/or objectsthat may disturb a magnetic field 84 generated by an induction coil ofthe interference sensor 82. In this configuration, the interferencesensor 82 is configured to communicate a presence or position of variousobjects in the interference zone 32 to the controller 70 such that thecontroller 70 can limit motion of the actuator 22 to prevent a collisionbetween the door 14 and the objects 64 and 66.

The induction coil of the interference sensor 82 may be configured togenerate the magnetic field 84 and monitor the magnetic field 84 forvariations that may correspond to an object, for example the firstobject 64 or the second object 66, being present in the interferencezone 32. In this configuration, the interference sensor 82 is operableto communicate a signal that may be identified by the controller 70 tolimit the motion of the actuator 22 and prevent a collision between thedoor 14 and the object (e.g. the first object 64 or the second object66). The interference sensor 82 may be utilized alone or in combinationwith the interference sensor 62 in various embodiments to increase adetection accuracy and versatility of the door assist system 12 todetect a variety of objects having a wide range of material properties.

In some embodiments, the interference sensor 82 may be configured tomonitor the interference zone 32 in each of the detection regions 36,38, 40. Similar to the interference sensor 62, the interference sensor82 may comprise a plurality of sensors, for example magnetic sensors. Inthis configuration, the controller 70 may be configured to detect anobject in the first detection region 36 proximate a first magneticsensor 86 at a first sensitivity. The controller 70 may further beconfigured to detect an object in the second detection region 38proximate a second magnetic sensor 88 at a second sensitivity. Finally,the controller 70 may also be configured to detect an object in thethird detection region 40 proximate a third magnetic sensor 90 at athird sensitivity.

Each of the sensitivities discussed herein may correspond to particularpredetermined threshold corresponding to signal characteristics and/ormagnitudes communicated from each of the magnetic sensors 86, 88, and 90to the controller 70. The first magnetic sensor 86 may have a lowerdetection threshold than the second magnetic sensor 88. The secondmagnetic sensor 88 may have a lower threshold than the third magneticsensor 90. The lower threshold may correspond to a higher or increasedsensitivity in the detection of the objects 64 and 66. In thisconfiguration, the magnetic sensors 86, 88, and 90 may be configured todetect objects throughout the interference zone 32 as the position ofthe door 14 is adjusted by the actuator 22 about the hinge assembly 18.

The controller 70 may be configured to receive various signals from theinterference sensor 82 or magnetic sensors 86, 88, and 90, some of whichmay correspond to the detection of the objects 64 and 66. The magneticsensors as discussed herein may correspond to various forms of magneticor induction sensors that may be configured to monitor the magneticfield 84. For example, a magnetic sensor may correspond to variousmagnetic sensing devices including, but not limited to a Hall effectsensor, a magneto-diode, a magneto-transistor, an AMR magnetometer, aGMR magnetometer, a magnetic tunnel junction magnetometer, amagneto-optical sensor, a Lorentz force based sensor, an ElectronTunneling based sensor, a compass, a Nuclear precession magnetic fieldsensor, an optically pumped magnetic field sensor, a fluxgatemagnetometer, and a search coil magnetic field sensor.

The controller 70 may be configured to detect the objects 64 and 66 byidentifying changes in the magnetic field 84. For example, theidentification may be accomplished by comparing signals from themagnetic sensors 86, 88, and 90 monitoring the magnetic field 84 duringoperation of the door assist system 12. The signals from the magneticsensors 86, 88, and 90 may be compared by the controller 70 topreviously measured or calibrated characteristics of the magnetic field84. The previously measured or calibrated characteristics from themagnetic sensors 86, 88, and 90 may be stored in a memory incommunication with the controller 70. In some implementations, thecontroller 70 may further utilize the angular position φ of the door 14from the position sensor 24 to improve the comparison due to changes inthe magnetic field 84 resulting from the change in distance between thedoor 14 and the body 16. In this configuration, the controller 70 mayaccurately identify changes in the magnetic field 84 to identify anobstruction in the interference zone 32 (e.g., the objects 64 and 66).

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the interference sensors 62 and 82may be operable to detect the presence of the objects 64 and 66 in theinterference zone 32 and further identify which of the plurality ofdetection regions 34 in which the objects 64 and 66 are located. Thesensors 62 and 82 may be utilized in various combinations in order toimprove a detection accuracy and reliability of detection of a widevariety of objects. In various implementations, the controller 70 mayidentify the objects 64 and 66 from the signals received from thevarious interference sensors in order to control the actuator 22 and thecorresponding motion of the door 14. The various implementations of thedoor assist system 12 discussed herein provide for the controller 70 toadjust a position of the door 14 while preventing collisions between thedoor 14 and various objects that may enter the interference zone 32.

Referring to FIG. 4, a top schematic view of the vehicle 10 comprisingthe door assist system 12 is shown. As discussed previously, the doorassist system 12 may further be configured to detect the objects 64 and66 in an outer swing path 92 of the door 14. In this configuration, thecontroller 70 may be configured to control the actuator 22 to adjust theangular position φ of the door 14 of the vehicle 10 from a closedposition to an opened position. As discussed previously, theinterference sensor 26 may correspond to a sensor array 94 comprising aplurality of proximity sensors. Each of the proximity sensors may beconfigured to detect the objects 64 and 66 in the outer swing path 92 ofthe door 14. The plurality of proximity sensors of the sensor array 94correspond to a first proximity sensor 96, a second proximity sensor 97,and a third proximity sensor 98. In this configuration, the controller70 may be configured to detect the objects 64 and 66 in the plurality ofdetection regions 34 of the interference zone 32 corresponding to theouter swing path 92 of the door as well as the inner swing path asdiscussed in reference to FIG. 1.

The interference sensor 26 may be configured to identify a location ofeach of the objects 64 and 66 based on the position of the objects 64and 66 relative to each of the detection regions 34 and the angularposition φ of the door 14. That is, the controller 70 may be configuredto identify and monitor the location of the objects 64 and 66 relativeto the radial extent 42 of the door 14 in relation to the hinge assembly18. The controller 70 may identify and monitor the location of theobjects based on a detection signal for each of the objects receivedfrom one or more of the proximity sensors 96, 97, and 98. Based on thedetection signal from one or more of the proximity sensors 96, 97, and98, the controller 70 may identify the location of the objects based onthe position of each of the proximity sensors 96, 97, and 98 along theradial extent 42 of the door 14. The controller 70 may further identifythe location of the objects based on the angular position φ communicatedfrom the door position sensor 24. In this configuration, the door assistsystem 12 may be configured to position the door 14 from a closedposition to an opened position while preventing the door 14 fromstriking the objects 64 and 66.

In some embodiments, the controller 70 may further be operable toprioritize a first detection of the first object 64 and a seconddetection of the second object 66. For example as illustrated in FIG. 4,the controller 70 may identify that the door 14 is closer to the firstobject 64 than the second object 66 in relation to the rotational pathof the door 14 about the hinge assembly 18. The controller 70 mayidentify that the first object 64 is closer than the second object basedon a proximity of each of the objects 64 and 66 to the door 14 asdetermined via one or more signals received by the controller 70 fromthe interference sensor 26. The controller 70 may monitor the proximityof each of the objects 64 and 66 throughout an adjustment of the angularposition φ of the door 14 based on the one or more signals. Once thecontroller 70 detects that a proximity signal from at least one of theproximity sensors 96, 97, and 98 exceeds a predetermined threshold, thecontroller 70 may control the actuator 22 to halt a positioningadjustment of the door 14. In this way, the controller 70 may prioritizea control instruction to control the actuator 22 to limit the angularposition φ of the door 14 to prevent a collision between the door 14 andone or more objects 64 and 66 in the interference zone 32.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow chart of a method 102 for controllingthe door assist system 12 is shown. The method 102 may begin in responseto the controller 70 receiving an input signal from a door controldevice requesting that the door 14 be positioned in the closed position(104). In response to receiving the input signal, the controller 70 mayactivate the interference sensor 26 to identify whether an object orobstruction is located in the interference zone 32 or the interferenceregions, as discussed in reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 (106).Additionally, in response to receiving the input signal, the controller70 may activate the actuator 22 to begin positioning the door 14 in adoor close operation (108). Additional information regarding the doorcontrol device is discussed in reference to FIG. 6.

As the actuator 22 begins to position the door 14, the controller 70 isconfigured to identify if an obstruction is detected (110). If anobstruction is detected, the controller 70 may halt the closingoperation of the door (112). The controller 70 may also output anobstruction detection signal, which may be configured to activate analarm of warning to alert an operator or occupant of the vehicle 10 ofthe obstruction detection (114). If an obstruction is not detected, thecontroller 70 may continue positioning the door 14 with the actuator 22and monitoring the angular position φ of the door 14 by processingposition information from the position sensor 24 (116). As the door 14is repositioned, the controller 70 may continue to monitor the positioninformation to determine when the door closure operation is complete(118). Additionally, the controller 70 may continue to monitor theinterference zone 32 for obstructions throughout the repositioning ofthe door 14 as discussed in reference to method steps 106-114.

In step 118, if the door closure operation is determined to be complete,the controller 70 may halt the door actuator 22 (120). Additionally, thecontroller 70 may output a control signal that may identify that thedoor 14 of the vehicle 10 is secure such that a vehicle operation may beactivated (122). A vehicle operation may include releasing a parkingbrake, engaging an autonomous vehicle operation, or otherwise enablingan operation of the vehicle 10 that may be completed when the door 14 islocated in the closed position. More particularly, controller 70 maycommunicate with vehicle control module 162, by transmission of a signalor the like, to cause vehicle control module 162 to take a predeterminedaction in response to controller 70 having determined that door 14 isajar. As discussed above, such a determination can be made usingposition sensor 24 to determine if the angular position φ of door 14 iswithin the designated range for the closed position thereof. The actiontaken by vehicle control module 162 can include maintaining the vehicle10 in a stopped condition, such as by preventing ignition of the engineof vehicle 10 (such as by communication with an ignition module or unitof vehicle 10), implementing a park-lock mode, whereby the vehicletransmission is maintained in a park mode or condition, or the like(e.g. by communication with a park-lock module associated with thetransmission). Vehicle 10 may provide an override for such park-lockfunctionality, such as via a menu item on HMI 128 or another accessiblecontrol within vehicle. Further, in an embodiment where vehicle 10 isconfigured for autonomous operation (including fully autonomousoperation), vehicle control module 162 may prevent vehicle 10 frommoving from a current location under autonomous operation.

Autonomous operation of vehicle 10 may be achieved, for example, byincluding within vehicle 10 an autonomous operation system 158 (whichmay be included within the functionality of vehicle control module 162,for example) having a vehicle location module 174 (FIG. 11) that mayinclude various devices or features for identifying a location andtrajectory of vehicle 10, such as a global positioning service (“GPS”)module or the like. Autonomous operation system 158 may also include avision module 166 that can identify items surrounding vehicle 10, suchas pedestrians, other cars, etc., as well as the roadway on whichvehicle 10 is traveling, including lane markers, shoulders, curbs,intersections, crosswalks, traffic lights, etc. Vision module 166 mayinclude a video camera, a light field camera (e.g. a plenoptic camera),RADAR, LIDAR, and various combinations thereof. Memory (either withinvehicle control module 162, controller 70 (i.e. memory 170), or withinautonomous operation system 158 itself, may also include map data for atleast an area surrounding vehicle 10. An internet or other wireless dataconnection may also be provided for updating, maintaining, and acquiringsuch data, including when traveling into new areas.

Autonomous operation system 158 is configured to process the position,trajectory, roadway, and map data to determine a path of travel forvehicle 10 between a current location and a desired destination.Further, autonomous operation system 158 is also configured to controlthe movement of vehicle 10 along such a path, including by control of avehicle steering module 172, a vehicle brake module 176, and the vehiclethrottle 178. Such control is implemented to maintain the speed ofvehicle 10 at an acceptable level, while avoiding other vehicles,objects, etc. and while obeying surrounding traffic signs and signals.In this manner, a vehicle may be made “fully autonomous,” wherebyvehicle 10 may drive from a current location to a destination withoutsupervision by a user, driver, or the like. In some embodiments, fullyautonomous vehicles may operate under the direction of a user that isnot present within the vehicle 10, including by incorporation of acommunication module capable of communicating with an applicationrunning on a remote device, such as a computer, smartphone, tablet,dedicated device, or the like. In this and in other embodiments, it maybe useful for such a vehicle 10 to be able to identify whether or notdoor 14 (and similarly, other doors of vehicle 10) is closed, beforebeginning movement along the determined vehicle path. Accordingly,controller 70 can output a signal to one of vehicle control module 162or autonomous operation system 158 to prevent autonomous driving ofvehicle 10 if one or more doors 14 (e.g. any of the four doors of asedan) is determined to be in an open, ajar, or non-closed condition.Such information can also be transmitted to the remote device, alongwith other vehicle condition information. In a further embodiment,controller 70 can take action to remedy the door open condition byalerting an occupant of vehicle 10 (such as by visible or audibleindication) or by moving door 14 into the closed configuration, such asby control of actuator 22 and monitored by interference sensor 26, asdiscussed above.

After the door close operation is complete, the controller 70 maycontinue to monitor the door control device to determine if a dooropening operation is requested (124). As described herein, the method102 for controlling the door assist system 12 may further be utilized tocontrol the opening operation of the door 14 and may include additionalinterference sensors 26 configured to detect obstructions that may beencountered as the actuator 22 opens the door 14.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a projected view of the vehicle 10 is showndemonstrating the door control device 130 of the door assist system 12.The door control device 130 may correspond to a gesture sensor 132configured to detect a motion or gesture by a tracked object 134, suchas a limb, hand, foot, head, etc. of a user or other person positionedon the exterior of vehicle 10. The door control device 130 maycorrespond to a variety of sensory devices. Sensory devices that may beutilized for the gesture sensor 132 may include, but are not limited tooptical, capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wavetechnologies, as well as other proximity and sensor arrays or otherelements for determining the gestures of the object 134 in proximitythereto. Various interference sensors as described herein may also beutilized to identify gestures of the object 134.

As discussed herein, the gesture sensor 132 may be utilized to detectand record a motion of the object 134 and communicate motion datacorresponding to the motion recorded by the gesture sensor 132 to thecontroller 70. In some embodiments, the gesture sensor 132 maycorrespond to an optical detection device 136. The optical detectiondevice 136 may comprise an image sensor 138 and a light emitting device140 in communication with the controller 70. The light emitting device140 may correspond to a variety of light emitting devices and in someembodiments, may correspond to one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs)configured to emit light outside the visible range (e.g. infrared orultraviolet light). The image sensor 138 may be configured to receive alight beam or a reflection thereof from the light emitting device 140 ina field of view 142 of the image sensor 138. The image sensor 138 may bea CMOS image sensor, a CCD image sensor, or any form of image sensoroperable detect light emitted by the light emitting device 140.

In some embodiments, one or more of the interference sensor 26, thegesture sensor 132, the optical detection device 136 or any of thevarious detection devices discussed herein may be utilized to detect aperiod of inactivity or the door 14. A period of inactivity maycorrespond to a time interval or predetermined temporal period whereinan object is not detected proximate the door 14. In such cases, thecontroller 70 may monitor various regions proximate the door 14 toidentify if an object (for example a vehicle occupant) is in proximityto the door 14. In response to the predetermined temporal period lapsingwithout the controller 70 detecting an object in proximity to the door14, the controller may activate the actuator 22 to position the door 14in a closed position. In this way, the disclosure may provide for atleast one security feature that may be automatically activated by thecontroller 70 to secure the vehicle 10 in response to the period ofinactivity.

With reference to the embodiment of the method 202 shown in FIG. 7, thegesture sensor 132 can transmit a signal to controller 70 including datarelated to the type of sensory devise used therein. In the example of animage sensor 138, such as one or more cameras, gesture sensor 132 canoutput a signal include image and/or video data for a field of view ofthe camera or cameras, the signal being received by controller 70 instep 204. Controller 70 can then process the image or video data toidentify and isolate object 134 (step 206), for example, and to trackmotion of object 134 over time (214). The data used in this or otherschemes to identify motion of object 134 may be communicated by avariety of analog and/or digital signals, such as video data, logicbased signals, etc. that may be utilized by the controller 70 toidentify the gesture recorded in such data. The motion of object 134thus identified by the controller 70 can be interpreted as a command(218) directing controller 70 to activate the door assist system 12 suchthat the actuator 22 repositions the door 14 (step 220). The gesture tobe identified by the controller 70 in order to activate the door assistsystem 12 may be predetermined or previously saved to a memory of thecontroller 70. Upon receipt of the data, the controller 70 may comparethe communicated motion data to the previously saved motion data toidentify a gesture utilized to access the vehicle 10.

To prevent unauthorized access to vehicle 10, the controller 70 mayfirst seek to identify if a user within a field of view of the gesturesensor 132 is an “authorized” user. This may be done by acquiring imagedata from the signal received from gesture sensor 132 (which may beaccomplished by isolating a frame of the video data, for example) andprocessing the data (step 210) according to a desired mode ofuser-identification using visible characteristics. In one example,controller 70 can identify faces in the acquired image data and run oneof various facial-recognition algorithms to determine if one of theidentified faces is that of an authorized user (step 208). Otherphysical characteristics can be processed similarly according toalternative ways of identifying users. In this manner, controller 70 canbe configured to only accept a gesture-based command from an identifiedauthorized user.

In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, a user can be designated as anauthorized user by entering a setup mode 222 for the system 12, such asvia HMI 128, using a smartphone application, or the like. In the setupmode (which can require the presence of a key fob or the like withinvehicle 10 to signal initial authorization), the user can have therequired visible data stored in memory 170 (FIG. 11) and associated witha designation of such visible data pertaining to an authorized user. Inthe embodiment shown, the user can enter the user designation mode (step226) before entering a record command (step 228), which can activatecontroller 70 to receive and process a signal from optical detectiondevice 136 (step 230). When controller 70 recognizes that a face ispresent in the image data within the signal, the user can be prompted toenter information (step 234) that is then associated with the face (step236). Such information can simply include that the face corresponds toan authorized user or can include additional data, such as the name ofthe user. The face data and additional information is then stored inmemory (step 240) before the setup mode is optionally exited (steps 240and 242). The user information can also be stored in memory 170 andassociated with the visible data such that other vehicle systems (e.g.climate control, seating, multimedia, etc.) can be configuredautomatically according to the known or learned preferences of theparticular authorized user. The visual or facial data can,alternatively, be obtained, by the user uploading a picture using asmartphone application or by entering other physical data manually usingHMI 128, for example.

The motion data recorded by the gesture sensor 132 may include variousmovements of the object 134 and sequences or combinations thereof. Forexample, the optical detection device 136 may be operable to communicatevideo data containing imagery of the motion object 134 (e.g. a hand,limb, etc.) or an authorized user performing a gesture in the form ofone of a variety of movements (e.g. up, down, left, right, in, out,etc.) of the object 134 in the field of view 142. In one aspect, gesturesensor 132 can include two or more sensors (e.g. cameras) to obtainstereoscopic video data of the corresponding field of view, therebyallowing movement of object 134 toward or away from vehicle 10 to bedetermined and tracked. The controller 70 may then identify object 134and track the movement thereof, comparing each movement thereof to aparticular sequence or order of movements corresponding to apredetermined gesture or previously saved gesture associated with acommand to interpret a gesture within the data as a control gesture.Upon interpreting the control gesture to determine that the image datareceived from the image sensor 138 contains movement of object 134 thatcorresponds to the particular sequence or order of the predetermined orpreviously saved gesture, the controller 70 may activate the door assistsystem 12 such that the door 14 opens, closes, or is repositioned inaccordance with a particular gesture identified.

Controller 70 can be pre-programmed with gestures for opening, closing,or repositioning door 14 that the user can replicate using object 134for recognition by controller in a video signal obtained from gesturesensor 132. In another aspect, the previously-described setup mode 222may further include protocol for entering user-derived control gestures(step 244). In this aspect, the user may enter a “record” mode (step246) in which a gesture is executed within the field of view of imagesensor 132. In an example, the record mode can be started with a push ofa button on a key fob associated with vehicle 10 or by a predeterminedgesture. When finished, controller 70 can process the date (step 248)and identify a tracked object 134 (step 250) and track the motionthereof (step 252). Controller 70 can then cause the HMI 128 can displaya diagram of the recorded gesture (step 254), for which a desiredcontrol is unknown. The user can then determine whether to use thegesture and which type of control the gesture is associated with (suchas by selection from a list of menu items in step 256), at which pointthe previously unknown gesture is stored in memory 170 as a commandgesture in association with the desired door movement (step 258).

In either gesture designation protocol, controller 70 may implement alearning mode during operation (202), in which the particular motionpath 180 associated with a command gesture may be adjusted over time tomore accurately identify a gesture and appropriately interpret such agesture. In such a mode, a first tolerance zone 182 may be applied withthe motion path 180 stored in memory 170. In general, the tolerance zone182 may map a deviation from the movement path 180 by object 134 thatcan still be interpreted as corresponding to a command gesture. Thisoperation can allow controller 70 to identify a gesture, despite theuser moving object 134 in a manner that is not precise (step 216).Further, controller 70 can monitor deviations from motion path 180 thatare within the tolerance zone 182 for a level of consistency of suchdeviations (step 260). Controller 70 can then adjust motion path 180 tomatch or compensate for the repeated deviation with the tolerance zone182 being similarly adjusted (step 262). In a further aspect, thelearning mode can identify repeated movements of object 134 or a secondobject that are outside the tolerance zone 182 for a particular motionpath 180, but still exhibit characteristics of such movement. In oneexample, movement by a foot of the user may be carried out in a mannersimilar to a gesture made by the user's hand but may differ from theexact path due to anatomy, etc. If such a movement is repeated for apredetermined number of times so as to include the same similarcharacteristic as motion path 180, controller 70 can then store such amovement in memory 170 as a second movement path corresponding to thesame movement command.

In some embodiments, the gesture sensor 132 may correspond to one ormore proximity sensors (although gesture sensors 132 in the form of anoptical detection device and a proximity sensor are shown in FIG. 6,system 12 may include only one of such sensors 132). The one or moreproximity sensors may correspond to a sensor array 144 disposed on apanel 145 of the vehicle 10. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the sensor array144 is disposed proximate an outer surface 146 of the door 14. Thesensor array 144 may be configured to detect the object 134 within aproximity or sensory range corresponding to a detection field of thesensor array 144. Once the object 134 is detected, the sensor array 144may communicate a signal to the controller 70 corresponding directly toa motion of the object relative to a plurality of regions of the sensorarray 144. In this way, the sensor array 144 is operable to communicatethe movement of the object 134 proximate the sensor array 144 such thatthe controller 70 can utilize the signal to identify a gesture by theobject 134 and activate the door assist system 12.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a diagram of the sensor array 144 is shown. Thesensor array 144 may correspond to an array of capacitive sensors 148.Each of the capacitive sensors 148 may be configured to emit an electricfield 150. The sensor array 144 may be attached to the door 14 andcomprise an activation surface 151, which may be configured tosignificantly match an appearance of the outer surface 146 of the door14. In this configuration, the sensor array 144 may be concealed fromview providing for the outer surface 146 of the door 14 to have a sleekappearance without a visible door control device (e.g. a conventionaldoor handle). Though capacitive sensors are discussed in reference toFIG. 9, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatadditional or alternative types of proximity sensors may be used, suchas, but not limited to, inductive sensors, optical sensors, temperaturesensors, resistive sensors, the like, or a combination thereof.

Each of the capacitive sensors 148 may generate a separate electricfield 150. The controller 70 may utilize one or more signals receivedfrom the capacitive sensors 148 to identify a position of the object 134and a motion of the object 134 relative to each of the electric fields150. A threshold value of a signal received from each of the capacitivesensors 148 may be communicated to the controller 70 to identify themotion of the object 134 proximate the sensor array 144. The controller70 may compare the signals received from the capacitive sensors 148 to apredetermined or previously recorded signal stored in the memory inorder to identify a gesture. In response to identifying the gesture, thecontroller 70 is configured to activate the door assist system 12 suchthat the door 14 opens, closes, or is repositioned in accordance withthe particular gesture identified.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a side environmental view of the vehicle 10 isshown. In some embodiments, the controller 70 may further be operable todetect circumstances or characteristics of a location of the vehicle 10that may cause the door 14 to swing open or close unintentionally. Suchcircumstances may correspond to gusts of wind and/or the vehicle 10being parked on an incline 152. In such circumstances, the controller 70may be operable to detect the unintentional movement of the door 14 andutilize the door assist system 12 to significantly prevent theunintentional motion. In this way, the disclosure provides for anadvantageous system that may be utilized to improve the operation of thedoor 14 of the vehicle 10.

In some implementations, characteristics of the location of the vehicle10 may correspond to an angular orientation of the vehicle 10 relativeto gravity. The system 12 may comprise an incline sensor 154 incommunication with the controller 70 configured to detect and measurethe orientation. The incline sensor 154 may be disposed in variousportions of the vehicle 10 and correspond to a variety of sensors. Insome implementations, the incline sensor 154 may be configured tomeasure the incline about a plurality of axes via a tilt sensor,accelerometer, gyroscope, or any device operable to measure the inclineof the vehicle 10 relative to gravity. The incline sensor 154 maycommunicate the incline 152 of the vehicle 10 to the controller 70 suchthat when the door 14 is arranged the opened position or a partiallyopened position, the controller 70 is configured to activate theactuator 22 to prevent the door 14 from swinging open, closing, orchanging in angular position φ. In some embodiments, the controller 70may be operable to identify that the vehicle 10 is likely on an inclineby utilizing a GPS and a map to determine if the vehicle 10 is locatedon the incline 152.

In some embodiments, the controller 70 may be configured to control theactuator 22 to balance the door 14 relative to the incline 152. Based onthe angular position or orientation communicated to the controller 70 bythe incline sensor 154, the controller 70 may be operable to determine aforce required to apply to the door 14 to maintain the angular positionφ of the door 14 and prevent the door 14 from accelerating due togravity. The controller 70 is further operable to control the actuator22 to apply the force to the door to simulate the motion of the door ona level surface. In this way, the controller 70 may identify that thevehicle 10 is parked or oriented at an angle and prevent the door 14from swinging under the force of gravity.

Additionally, the controller 70 may be configured to limit a rate ofmotion of the door 14 by monitoring a change in the angular position φof the door communicated by the position sensor 24. In such embodiments,the controller 70 may monitor the rate of change of the angular positionφ of the door 14 and control the actuator 22 to apply an opposing forceto a motion of the door 14 to dampen or slow the motion of the door 14to a predetermined rate. The controller 70 may further be configured tohold the door 14 at one or more angular positions in response to aninput received from the door control device 130 or based on one or moreprogrammed door positions stored in a memory of the controller 70. Inthis way, the door assist system 12 provides for a variety of controlschemes to assist in the operation of the door 14.

In some embodiments, the door assist system 12 may be configured tofunction in a semi-manual operation wherein a user of the door 14 maymanually adjust the angular position φ and the actuator 22 may maintainthe angular position φ set by the user. As shown in FIG. 10, the usermay locate the door 14 at the angular position φ. In response to thecontroller 70 receiving data from the incline sensor 154 identifyingthat the vehicle 10 is parked on the incline 152, the controller 70 mayactivate the actuator 22 to prevent the door from moving or rotatingabout the hinge assembly 18. The controller 70 may be configured to holdthe door at the angular position φ until the user interacts with thedoor control device 130, for example the gesture sensor 132, or aconventional handle. The controller 70 may also be configured to holdthe door at the angular position φ until the user applies forcesufficient that the actuator 22, the position sensor 24, or any of avariety of devices and/or sensors discussed herein communicates to thecontroller 70 to release the angular position φ of the door 14.

As described, the controller 70 may control the actuator 22 to applysufficient force to prevent motion of the door 14 about the hingeassembly 18 due to gravity. The controller 70 may also be configured todetect an external force applied to the door 14 by a user of the vehicle10. The external force may be identified by the controller 70 as a spikeor increase in current from the actuator 22. Upon identification of thespike or increase, the controller 70 may gradually release the actuator22 such that the angular position φ may be freely adjusted.Additionally, upon release of the actuator 22, the controller 70 may beconfigured to control the rate of closure or the rate of change of theangular position φ. In this way, after the controller 70 releases theactuator 22 such that the door 14 may move, the actuator 22 still maymaintain force on the door 14 sufficient to prevent the door 14 fromswinging rapidly and/or slamming.

In some embodiments, a characteristic of a location of the vehicle 10may correspond to a weather or wind speed condition proximate thevehicle 10. The door assist system 12 may utilize a positioning device(not shown), for example a global positioning system (GPS), to retrieveweather information or at least one weather condition based on alocation or GPS location identified for the vehicle 10. The GPS locationand/or weather information may be utilized to identify periods when thedoor 14 may likely be unexpectedly repositioned or forced to swing aboutthe hinge assembly 18 due to a wind gust or elevated wind speeds. Theweather information may be accessed by the controller 70 via a wirelessdata connection, for example a GSM, CDMA, WiFi, or any other wirelessdata communication protocol.

The controller 70 may utilize the GPS data in combination with theweather data to identify if the vehicle 10 is located in an area withpotentially elevated wind speeds. If the controller 70 identifies thatthe vehicle 10 is located in such an area, the controller 70 isconfigured to prevent excess motion of the door 14 and/or dampen themotion of the door 14 about the hinge assembly 18. The controller 70 maybe configured to prevent movement of the door 14 due to wind bydetecting an external force applied to the door 14 as a spike orincrease in current from the actuator 22 and/or due to an unexpectedincrease in the rate of change of the angular position φ of the door 14.In this way, the door assist system 12 is operable to predict if thevehicle 10 is located in an area with elevated wind speeds and preventexcess motion of the door 14 due to such windy conditions.

The characteristic of the location of the vehicle 10 or weatherinformation may also be detected by the controller 70 via a winddetection device 156, for example an anemometer. The wind detectiondevice 156 may be disposed on the vehicle 10 and configured to monitorthe localized wind conditions proximate the vehicle 10 and communicate awind speed or direction signal to the controller 70. In response to adetection of windy conditions, the wind detection device 156 isconfigured to communicate wind condition data to the controller 70. Inresponse to windy conditions or wind speeds exceeding a wind speedthreshold, the controller 70 is configured to control the actuator 22 toprevent excess motion of the door 14 and/or dampen the motion of thedoor 14 about the hinge assembly 18. In some implementations, thecontroller 70 may also control the actuator to hold the door 14 at anangular position φ to prevent unwanted motion of the door 14 due to thewindy conditions, as similarly discussed in reference to the inclinesensor 154.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a block diagram of the door assist system 12is shown. The door assist system 12 comprises the controller 70 incommunication with the actuator 22 and configured to control the angularposition φ of the door 14. The controller 70 may comprise a motorcontrol unit having a feedback control system configured to accuratelyposition the door 14 about the hinge assembly 18 in a smooth andcontrolled motion path. The controller 70 may further be incommunication with a position sensor 24 as well as at least oneinterference sensor 26. The position sensor 24 is configured to identifyan angular position φ of the door 14, and the interference sensor 26 isconfigured to identify a potential obstruction which may preventoperation of the door assist system 12.

The controller 70 may be in communication with a vehicle control module162 via a communication bus 164 of the vehicle. The communication bus164 may be configured to deliver signals to the controller 70identifying various vehicle states. For example, the communication bus164 may be configured to communicate to the controller 70 a driveselection of the vehicle 10, an ignition state, an open or ajar statusof the door 14, etc. The vehicle control module 162 may also communicatewith HMI 128 for implementation of the above-described learning andidentification modes. The controller 70 may comprise a processor 168comprising one or more circuits configured to receive the signals fromthe communication bus 164 and output signals to control the door assistsystem 12. The processor 168 may be in communication with a memory 170configured to store instructions to control the activation of the doorassist system 12.

The controller 70 is configured to control the actuator 22 to adjust thedoor from the opened position to the closed position and control theangular position φ of the door 14 therebetween. The actuator 22 may beany type of actuator that is capable of transitioning the door 14,including, but not limited to, electric motors, servo motors, electricsolenoids, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, etc. The positionsensor 24 may correspond to a variety of rotational or position sensingdevices. In some embodiments, the position sensor may correspond to anangular position sensor configured to communicate the angular position φof the door to the controller 70 to control the motion of the actuator22. The position sensor 24 may correspond to an absolute and/or relativeposition sensor. Such sensors may include, but are not limited toencoders, potentiometers, accelerometers, etc. The position sensor 24may also correspond to optical and/or magnetic rotational sensors. Othersensing devices may also be utilized for the position sensor 24 withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure.

The interference sensor 26 may be implemented by a variety of devices,and in some implementations may be utilized in combination with theactuator 22 and the position sensor 24 to detect and control the motionof the door 14. The interference sensor 26 may include various sensorsutilized alone or in combination. For example, the interference sensor26 may correspond to one or more capacitive, magnetic, inductive,optical/photoelectric, laser, acoustic/sonic, radar-based,Doppler-based, thermal, and/or radiation-based proximity sensors. Thoughparticular devices are disclosed in reference to the exemplaryembodiments of the interference sensor 26, it shall be understood thatvarious sensor technologies known and yet to be discovered may beutilized to implement the door assist system 12 without departing fromthe spirit of the disclosure.

The controller 70 is further in communication with the door controldevice 130 comprising the gesture sensor 132. The gesture sensor 132 isconfigured to detect a motion or a gesture by an object 134 to activatethe controller 70 to adjust the position of the door 14. The gesturesensor 132 may correspond to a variety of sensory devices. Sensorydevices that may be utilized for the gesture sensor 132 may include, butare not limited to optical, capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surfaceacoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity and sensor arraysor other elements for determining the gestures of the object 134 inproximity thereto.

The gesture sensor 132 may be utilized to detect and record a motion ofan object and communicate motion data corresponding to the motionrecorded by the gesture sensor 132 to the controller 70. The motion datamay be communicated by a variety of analog or digital signals that maybe utilized by the controller 70 to identify a gesture recorded by thegesture sensor 132. The motion data may be identified by the controller70 to activate the door assist system 12 such that the actuator 22repositions the door 14. The gesture to be identified by the controller70 in order to activate the door assist system 12 may be predeterminedor previously saved to the memory 170 of the controller 70. Upon receiptof the motion data, the controller 70 may compare the communicatedmotion data to the previously saved motion data to identify a gestureutilized to access the vehicle 10.

The controller 70 may comprise an incline sensor 154. The incline sensor154 may correspond to a variety of sensors and in some implementationsmay correspond to a tilt sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope or any otherdevice operable to measure the vehicle 10 oriented on an inclinerelative to gravity. The incline sensor 154 may communicate the inclineof the vehicle 10 to the controller 70 such that when the door 14 isarranged in the opened position or a partially opened position, thecontroller 70 is configured to activate the actuator 22 to prevent thedoor 14 from swinging open, closing, or changing in the angular positionφ. In this way, the controller 70 may identify that the vehicle 10 isparked or oriented at an angle and prevent the door 14 from swingingunder the force of gravity.

The controller 70 may also comprise a positioning device or GPS device174 configured to receive positioning data and may also be configured toreceive wireless data via a wireless data transceiver. The positioningdata and/or the wireless data may be utilized to determine a location ofthe vehicle 10 and the weather conditions of that location. Based on theweather conditions and position of the vehicle 10, the controller 70 maybe configured to identify periods when the door 14 may likely beunexpectedly repositioned or forced to swing about the hinge assembly 18due to a wind gust or elevated wind speeds. The weather information maybe accessed by the controller 70 via a wireless data transceiverconfigured to wirelessly communicate data. The data may be wirelesslycommunicated via GSM, CDMA, WiFi, or any other form of wireless datacommunication protocol.

The controller 70 may be in communication with a wind detection device156, for example an anemometer. The wind detection device 156 may bedisposed on the vehicle 10 and configured to monitor the localized windconditions proximate the vehicle 10. In response to a detection of windyconditions, the wind detection device 156 is configured to communicatewind condition data to the controller 70. In response to wind conditionsor wind speeds exceeding a wind speed threshold, the controller 70 isconfigured to control the actuator 22 to prevent excess motion of thedoor 14 and/or dampen the motion of the door 14 about the hinge assembly18.

The controller 70 may also further be in communication with anautonomous operation system 158. This may be achieved indirectly throughthe communication of controller 70 with vehicle control module 162,which may implement the functionality of autonomous operation system 158or may be in communication therewith. Autonomous operation system 158can receive data from a vision module 166 and from GPS device 174 todetermine a path for autonomous driving and can implement movement ofvehicle 10 along such a path by communication with brake module 176 andwith throttle 178. The communication of controller 70 with autonomousoperation system 158 may allow autonomous operation system to receivedata related to the angular position φ of door 14 relative to opening 20or related to a condition of door 14 between an open condition and aclosed condition such that autonomous movement of vehicle 10 isprevented when one or more doors 14 of vehicle 10 is in the opencondition.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present teachings, it isnoted that the terms “substantially” and “approximately” are utilizedherein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may beattributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or otherrepresentation. The term “substantially” and “approximately” are alsoutilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitativerepresentation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in achange in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made onthe aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of thepresent invention, and further it is to be understood that such conceptsare intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claimsby their language expressly state otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interference sensor for a vehicle doorcomprising: a door opening seal; an array of proximity sensors forming aportion of the seal, each of the proximity sensors configured to detectan obstruction in one of a plurality of sensory regions comprising afirst sensory region comprising a first sensory threshold and a secondsensory region comprising a second sensory threshold, the sensoryregions extending from a hinge assembly interconnecting the vehicle doorto a vehicle body, wherein the first sensory region is located closer tothe hinge assembly than the second sensory region and the first sensorythreshold is lower than the second sensory threshold; and a processor incommunication with the proximity sensors and configured to detect theobstruction of a motion of the vehicle door in the sensory regions,wherein the processor is configured to: receive a detection signal fromthe array of proximity sensors, detect the obstruction in response tothe detection signal exceeding at least one of the first sensorythreshold and the second sensory threshold, and output a control signalin response to the detection of the obstruction, the control signalbeing configured to control the motion of the vehicle door.
 2. Theinterference sensor according to claim 1, wherein the door opening sealcorresponds to at least one of a perimeter door seal and a perimeterdoor opening seal.
 3. The interference sensor according to claim 1,wherein the array of proximity sensors is incorporated as a sensor layerof the door opening seal.
 4. The interference sensor according to claim3, wherein the door seal comprises an outer layer of at least partiallyflexible polymeric material.
 5. The interference sensor according toclaim 3, wherein the array of proximity sensors is disposed proximate anouter layer of the seal and configured to detect the obstruction in aregion between the vehicle door and the vehicle body.
 6. Theinterference sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first sensorythreshold provides for the processor to detect the obstruction with ahigher level of sensitivity than the second sensory threshold.
 7. Theinterference sensor according to claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther in communication with an angular position sensor configured todetect an angular position of the door about the hinge assembly.